Mentawai langur
| Mentawai langur | ||||||||||||
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| Presbytis potentiani | ||||||||||||
| Bonaparte , 1856 |
The Mentawai langur ( Presbytis potentiani ) is a species of primate from the group of slender monkeys (Presbytini). It occurs only on the Mentawai Islands Sipora , North Pagai , South Pagai off the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west . The monkeys that occur on Siberut, the largest Mentawai island, were also a subspecies of the Mentawai langur until recently, but are now listed as a separate species due to genetic differences.
features
Mentawai langurs are relatively small, slender primates with long limbs and long tails. They reach an average weight of 6.5 kilograms, a head-trunk length of about 50 cm and a tail length of about 58 cm. A sexual dimorphism is barely pronounced. Like all cap langurs , they have a head of hair on their head. Adult monkeys are mostly black in color, the face is framed by a white fringe of hair, the belly is whitish and the inside of the arms and legs are reddish-orange. Throat, cheeks and pubic region are yellowish-white. Males have a white scrotum . The black hairless skin of the face becomes a little lighter around the mouth. Newborns have white-gray fur and light skin. They get the dark adult color after 12 to 14 days.
Way of life
Mentawai langurs are diurnal tree dwellers. They live in family groups that include two to five animals and consist of a male, a female and the offspring. This makes them the only monogamous species of the vervet monkey relatives . The territories of the individual groups overlap, only a core area is defended against conspecifics by means of loud shouting or threatening gestures .
Mentawai langurs are herbivores that feed on young leaves, fruits, seeds, and flowers.
Little is known about reproduction. The female gives birth to a single young in July or August. As with all boned langurs, young animals are initially light-colored.
Danger
Due to the small distribution area (the Mentawai Islands only cover around 6,700 km 2 ) and the destruction of their habitat, the species is listed as endangered ( vulnerable ) by the IUCN .
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- D. Zinner, GH Fickenscher & C. Roos: Family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys). Pages 721 in Russell A. Mittermeier , Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson : Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Primates: 3rd ISBN 978-8496553897
Web links
- Presbytis Potenziani in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: A. Eudey & Members of the Primate Specialist Group, 2000. Retrieved on April 6 of 2008.
- Information on Theprimata.com